Red moon at night, skywatchers' delight

Monday

The "Super Blood Wolf Moon" occurred in the late-evening sky Sunday. The moon went through a total eclipse, and clear weather gave Tri-City area skywatchers a perfect view of it.

At our request, readers sent us images they captured of the stages of the eclipse, which lasted for a couple of hours. As Earth cast its shadow over the moon, some of the light refracted from the sun gave it its unusual color.

In case you were wondering how the eclipse got such a colorful name, we looked it up. The timing of the SBWM with the total eclipse is coincidental.

"Super" refers to the full moon that occurs when it is at its closest point to Earth, making it appear bigger than a normal full moon. "Blood" refers to the reddish color cast across the moon by Earth bending sunlight rays onto it. Finally, any full moon that occurs in January typically is referred to in folklore as the "wolf moon" because its brightness is believed to cause more howling among wolves.

The next total lunar eclipse is set to happen in 2021.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Submit Content

Market Place

Social Media

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Progress-Index ~ 15 Franklin Street, Petersburg, VA 23803 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service